3-Blog Lounge: Meet me in St. Louis

The Giants thought they’d had it with the road. The schedule says Arizona at home, then the Dodgers at home, and that’s it. Thanks to the startling demise of the St. Louis Cardinals, one more trip might be in store.

Because of a rainout during the last day of the Giants’ recent series in St. Louis, the teams were scheduled to play a makeup game next Monday, as long as it meant something. The significance of that game has long since vanished for the Giants, especially after their preposterous three-city road trip that ended Sunday in Milwaukee, but it just might mean something to the Cardinals, who seem intent on choking away the Central Division title.

The Astros, known for their strong finishes, are doing it once again with a six-game winning streak that included a big win at Philadelphia last night. Amazingly, they trail St. Louis by just 2 1/2 games in a race that is all about the division title (no wild-card possibilities). Could you imagine the heat on Tony La Russa if the Cardinals blow this one? Not that it’s his fault by any means; the team has no clear idea who would pitch a Game 3 in the first round (such is the tattered state of their rotation), and the injuries to Jim Edmonds and David Eckstein have been damaging. Edmonds returned tonight and homered — the type of thing you’d expect to light a fire under the Cardinals. Not so. San Diego beat them last night, and the Padres did it with Scott Linebrink, not Trevor Hoffman, closing the game (perhaps the reports of Hoffman’s tender shoulder carried some significance, after all).